title: Adhesion patterns in early cell spreading.
abstract: Mouse embryonic fibroblasts explore the chemical suitability before spreading on a given substrate. We find this early phase of cell spreading to be characterized by transient adhesion patches with a typical mean size of (1.0 ± 0.4) µm and a lifetime of (33 ± 12) s. Eventually, these patches fuse to initiate extensive spreading of the cell. We monitor cell adhesion using reflection interference contrast and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. Digital time lapse movies are analysed employing spatio-temporal correlation functions of adhesion patterns. Correlation length and time can be scaled to obtain a master curve at the fusion point.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Biophysik, Universität Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ryzhkov
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prass
authors.forename: Meike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gummich
authors.forename: Jac-Simon
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kühn
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oettmeier
authors.forename: Hans-Günther
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Döbereiner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D022001:Focal Adhesions / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D051379:Mice